----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, July 01, 2002 11:53
AM
DON'T USE PLASTIC IN THE MICROWAVE
As a seventh
grade student, Claire Nelson learned that
> > di(ethylhexyl)adepate
(DEHA), considered a carcinogen, is found in
> > plastic wrap. She also
learned that the FDA had never studied the effect
> > of microwave
cooking on plastic-wrapped food. Claire began to wonder:
> > "Can
cancer-causing particles seep into food covered with household
> >
plastic wrap while it is being microwaved?"
> >
> >
>
> Three years later, with encouragement from her high school
science
> > teacher, Claire set out to test what the
>
>
> > FDA had not. Although she had an idea
for studying the effect of
> > microwave radiation on plastic-wrapped
food, she did not have the
> > equipment. Eventually, Jon Wilkes at the
National Center for
> > Toxicological Research in Jefferson, Arkansas,
agreed to help her. The
>
> > research center, which is
affiliated with the FDA, let her use its
> > facilities to perform her
experiments, which involved microwaving
> > plastic wrap in virgin
olive oil.
> >
> >
> > Claire tested four
different plastic wraps and "found not just the
> > carcinogens but
also xenoestrogen was
> >
> >
migrating [into the oil]...." Xenoestrogens are linked to low sperm
> >
counts in men and to breast cancer in women.
> >
> >
>
> Throughout her junior and senior years, Claire made a couple
of trips
> > each week to the research center, which was 25
miles from her home,
to work on
her experiment. An article in Options reported that
"her
analysis found that DEHA was migrating into the oil at between
200 parts
and 500 parts per million. The FDA standard is 0.05 parts
per
billion." Thats right: BILLION. Her summarized
results
have been
published in science journals. Claire Nelson received
the American
Chemical Society's top science prize for students
during her
junior year and fourth place at the International Science
and
Engineering Fair (Fort Worth, Texas) as a senior.
"Carcinogens -- At 10,000,000 Times FDA Limits" Options May 2000.
Published by
People Against Cancer, 515-972-4444 .
> > On
Channel 2 (Huntsville, AL) they had a Dr. Edward Fujimoto from
>
> Castle Hospital on the program. He is the manager of the
Wellness
Program at the hospital. He was talking about dioxins
and how bad
they are for us. He said that we should not be heating
our food in
the microwave using plastic containers. This applies to
foods that
contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat
and plastics
releases dioxins into the food and ultimately into the cells
of the body.
Dioxins are carcinogens and highly toxic to the cells of
our bodies.
Instead, he recommends using glass, Corning Ware, or
ceramic
containers for heating food. You get the same results
without the
dioxins. So such things as TV dinners, instant saimin
and soups,
etc., should be removed from the container and
> > heated in
something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what
is
in the paper. Just safer to use
tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He
said we might remember when some of the fast food restaurants moved
away
from the foam containers to paper.
The dioxin problem is one of the
reason.
Saran wrap placed over foods as they are nuked, with the high heat,